Child Benefit (A21)
What is the Child Benefit?
The Child Benefit is one of the key measures in the policy to support and empower families. It is a non-contributory benefit. It is paid from the first child, and the total amount is determined by the number of dependent children and the family income category.
The monthly benefit is €70, €42 or €28 for each of the first and second children, depending on income, and €140, €84 or €56 for the third and each subsequent child. To receive the Child Benefit, an online application must be submitted each year through the IDIKA or OPEKA website on the dedicated platform. It must be submitted by the person required to file the income tax return or their spouse, using their personal TAXISnet credentials.
The fields in the A21 application are pre-filled using information from the Social Security Number (AMKA). When the application is submitted, the annual incomes of the family members included in the A21 application are also pre-filled through the online connection between IDIKA and the Independent Authority for Public Revenue (AADE). The Child Benefit supports more than 900,000 families and over 1.5 million children, with annual expenditure of approximately €1,050,000,000.
It is paid in six two-monthly instalments, based on the most recently assessed tax return.
Key information for beneficiaries
Beneficiaries who have not yet submitted an A21 application can do so on the IDIKA platform or through the OPEKA website, using the beneficiary’s personal TAXISnet credentials.
The amount due is calculated on the basis of the dependent children declared in the A21 application and the latest tax return. After the current year’s tax return, or an amended return, is submitted, the benefit is automatically recalculated before each payment based on income. There is no need to submit a new A21 application.
The online A21 application platform checks the accuracy and correctness of the information provided at the time of submission by cross-checking it electronically against available databases held by other organisations and services.
To receive the benefit, the application must be submitted definitively and approved. An application saved as a draft is considered not submitted and will not be taken into account.
OPEKA draws attention to the following:
- The AMKA numbers of all family members entered in the A21 Application and Solemn Declaration must be valid.
- Students at universities, former TEIs and other public educational institutions must hold valid student ID cards.
- Students who transferred during the current year must also have the number of their student ID card from before the transfer. If that number is unavailable, they should attach proof of their initial enrolment to the A21 application electronically.
- Foreign nationals and people of Greek origin who hold a Special Identity Card for Persons of Greek Origin must have valid Greek residence permits when submitting the A21 application. If the permits cannot be verified electronically, applicants will be asked to attach them electronically.
- For dependent children who are 19 years old in 2024 (born in 2005) and attend secondary school, beneficiaries must enter the student registration number and the registration number of the school they attend in the relevant application fields. If the information cannot be verified for accuracy, applicants will be asked to attach a recent certificate of studies to the A21 application electronically.
